1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a quick acting ball valve.
2. Description of the Related Art
For specific applications, quick acting ball valves are needed which are able to allow a sudden passage of a fluid flow and which have a high switching rate. One such application is the time-of-flight spectroscopy in a molecular-ray-apparatus. In time-of-flight spectroscopy, a gas ray is released for a short time and the time the gas atoms take to travel a predetermined path is determined. The interval-like gas flow, interrupted by the quick acting valve, reduces the surplus gas and the necessary power of the pump. Presently, a gas ray is continuously introduced into the apparatus and released intermittently for the path by an interrupting valve.
Valves are known in which a spring-biased bolt is pressed against a valve seat. In order to open the valve, the bolt can be lifted from the valve seat by means of a solenoid. Such valves have the disadvantage of a low repetition frequency. The masses of both the bolt and the valve body have to be commonly accelerated, which causes a retardation.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a quick-action ball valve which can release a fluid flow in an impulse-like manner, which can be operated at a high repetition frequency and which has a high service life because of low wear.